Jamie Spears, the father of pop superstar Britney Spears, filed a petition on Tuesday, Sept. 7 in a Los Angeles Superior Court to end the conservatorship he's maintained over his daughter, Britney, which has allowed him control of the singer's finances and life for 13 years. 

 

In the petition, Mr. Spears claims his daughter "is entitled to have this Court now seriously consider whether this conservatorship is no longer necessary," NBC News said. In addition, the father also said his daughter's circumstances have changed "to such an extent that there may no longer be grounds for the establishment of a conservatorship."

 

"As Mr. Spears has said time and time again, all he wants is what is best for his daughter. If Ms. Spears wants to end the conservatorship and believes she can handle her own life, Mr. Spears believes she should have that opportunity," said Vivian Lee Thoreen, an attorney for Mr. Spears. 

 

The pop star's lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, described the event as an "absolute" victory for the singer, but warned that they will continue to explore options to sue the father for his alleged negligent handling of the singer's finances.

 

"If Mr. Spears thinks he can dodge justice and accountability, including a sworn deposition and answering questions under oath, he is wrong," Rosengart said in a statement.

 

In June, Britney Spears publicly described her father's legal conservatorship as "abusive," since this figure is reserved for disabled or seriously ill people who cannot take care of themselves. In her mind, that was no longer a reality of her circumstance.

 

In a telephone statement to the court, the 39-year-old star begged to be allowed to get her life back and denounced that, although she would like to have a baby, her guardians would not let her go to the doctor to remove the IUD (intrauterine device) she has. 

 

Since then, the court had been asked to remove her father as legal guardian, but until now had not formally requested the end of the conservatorship, which since has been split in two since 2019. The singer's finances were in the hands of her father, while the personal aspect of the conservatorship was left to attorney Jodi Montgomery. 

 

The judge handling the case, Brenda Penny, will now have to decide whether to accept the new request of the singer's father, and the next litigation hearing is scheduled for Sept. 29.

 

On social media, Britney's fans have mobilized with the hashtag #FreeBritney to show their support for the artist.